SIGH: Shiki (BLACK METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Sigh could easily pass for one of the incarnations of musical freedom by always pushing back the limits of styles. The music of the Japaneses surveys the territories of all possibilities. Thus on "Heir to Despair", Sigh had taken his fans on a journey they were not prepared for. As for "In Somniphobia", he returned to the style that had made his reputation, without ever succumbing to the easy way out. Today, accompanied by Frédéric Leclercq (Kreator, Sinsaenum, ex. Dragonforce) and Mike Heller (Fear Factory), the musicians release an album entitled "Shiki" (four seasons).

The mixture of genres, ambiences and anxieties is the credo of the record. After a strange introduction, 'Kuroi Kage' juxtaposes heavy riffs, aggressive Japanese vocals, aerial passages with warm saxophones, beautiful solitary guitar and nervous rhythm. Softness and violence walk hand in hand, the borders disappearing in favor of an exacerbated emotion. 'Fuyu Ga Kuru' celebrates this marriage with the intervention of a country flute. The guitar melodies are beautiful, as on the beginning of 'Satsui - Geshi No Ato'. They are simple and effective and consequently the solo part is excellent. The rhythms are sometimes at the limit of Heavy, evoking Iron Maiden; nevertheless, on these rhythmic highways, it is the breaks which make all the charm of the disc: keyboards submerging the tracks or organ slipping in the furnace. Nevertheless, the voice, at times irritating, rough and throbbing, sometimes makes listening tricky ('Shikabane').

Sigh plays one more time with styles, transgresses them and remodels them. Dressed with beautiful melodies, the structures of the pieces and their complexity make its strength as much as its weakness. The amateurs of novelty will be in ecstasy, those which seek the comfort of reassuring bases are likely to quickly disappoint. - Official website

SIGH

SHIKI

PEACEVILLE RECORDS

BLACK METAL